The present invention generally relates to protective eyewear used in sporting activities that includes a mechanism surrounding the ponytail of the wearer allowing proper position of the eyewear strap. More specifically, the eyewear includes a ponytail holder that is attached to the flexible strap of the eyewear.
Conventional protective eyewear provides protection for the eyes of the wearer particularly during a sporting activity where injury to a person""s eyes is increased. Specifically, conventional protective eyewear includes a semi-flexible eyewear frame that supports two lenses with a strap for supporting the eyewear on the wearer""s head.
However, the straps of conventional protective eyewear are obstructed by the ponytail of the wearer, thereby by making it difficult to properly and securely position the strap and thus eyewear on the head of the wearer. Also, the strap of the conventional eyewear can force the ponytail out of place, causing the ponytail to fall down.
Additionally, some conventional headbands include either an aperture or a ring through which the ponytail of the wearer can extend. However, these headbands cannot support an eyewear frame and the ponytail holders cannot be adapted to conventional eyewear. Moreover, some of the ponytail holders of conventional headbands are not flexible and do not conform to the shape of the wearer""s head, thereby making the headband less comfortable to the wearer.
Examples of conventional protective eyewear include U.S. Pat. No. 5,644,800 to Leonardi; U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,178 to Leonardi et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,495,623 to Leonardi. Examples of conventional headbands with ponytail holders include U.S. Pat. No. 5,875,488 to Milani; U.S. Pat. No. 5,615,414 to Landis; U.S. Pat. No. 5,546,603 to Lawhome et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,998,544 to Obergfell.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide eyewear with a ponytail holder that supplies protection for the wearer""s eyes and surrounds rather than obstructs the wearer""s ponytail.
Another object of the present invention is to provide eyewear with a ponytail holder that has sufficient flexibility to conform to the wearer""s head, thereby providing a comfortable fit, and is also sufficiently rigid to surround the wearer""s ponytail.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide eyewear with a ponytail holder that is readily adaptable to any eyewear strap.
The foregoing objects are basically attained by eyewear, comprising an eyewear to eyewear frame that has first and second opposing frame ends; a first strap coupled to the eyewear frame and having opposing first and second strap ends, the first strap end being engaged with the first frame end of the eyewear frame; and a ponytail holder member coupled to the first strap and including a main body that has an aperture substantially centrally located therein, and a first slot disposed adjacent the aperture, the first slot receiving the first strap at said second strap end.
The foregoing objects are also attained by eyewear, comprising an eyewear frame that has first and second opposing frame ends; a flexible first strap coupled to the eyewear frame and having a substantially flexible portion, and opposing first and second strap ends, the first strap end being engaged with the first frame end of the eyewear frame; and a separable ponytail holder member coupled to the first strap and including a substantially planar main body with a central longitudinal axis and a transverse axis substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, and an aperture substantially centrally located therein, whereby the ponytail holder member is substantially flexible along a plane defined by the longitudinal axis and is substantially rigid along a plane defined the transverse axis.
By designing the eyewear in this fashion, protection to the wearer""s eyes is provided in addition to a comfortable and secure fit of the eyewear.
Other objects, advantages and salient features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with annexed drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment of the present invention.